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Forgiveness key to
strong friendships

Once in a while I might catch "The Goddess Speaks" but have yet to see a grandmother dare to voice her sentiments. Do they get too timid when they are old, or decide it is a fool's game they should not indulge?

Frankly, I feel, grandmother that I am in my 80s, I should try. Nothing to lose other than the section editor's sneer or contempt.

As a grandmother, I dare say I can talk, think, write with impunity. Sure, having survived several decades as an earthling, gone to several countries and having developed a keen eye for different cultures and traditions, surely I can claim an advantage over young goddesses.

Having master's degrees in journalism and political science -- the latter particularly sharpens one's ability to manipulate --should place this grandmother on a different plane to beat even an individual such as President Bush. Did you notice that while he has sent U.S. troops -- more than 1,500 now dead -- to the Middle East, he contradicts himself in the Terri Schiavo case by claiming he has a right to plead for "life"?

SINCE the beginning of adulthood, I have belonged to a group of four female journalists, all graduates of a Catholic convent college established by French and Belgian nuns in the Philippines. We recently had a reunion, gathering for the purpose of seeing each other, possibly for the last time.

Somehow, our minds seem to veer in the same direction. We had fought over different political beliefs -- Ferdinand Marcos, radicalism, liberalism, conservatism, even communism and dictatorship -- and their need to work with the mainstream.

This grandmother, not having to live in the Philippines, could feel good about not having to bow to dictatorship. One who lived in Denmark and was rich worked for Marcos as a propagandist in Europe. That past is gone, but not from memory.

I learned after our reunion that I did love them, and we forgave each other for our failings. We somehow perceived that if we are still comfortable with each other, it is because forgiveness is crucial to each one, despite our differences.

Looking at each other closely, somehow our faces showed a softness characteristic of people who will not allow negative sentiments to cloud one's vision or destroy one's character. Forgiveness allows mental and spiritual growth.

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